John Muir: To the Heart of Solitude

Gr 7 Up–Most people have a moment that changes their life completely. For John Muir, this moment was a factory accident. Prior to the accident, Muir followed in the footsteps of his family, doing as he was told, not what he wanted, and worked hard to make sure they were taken care of—until the day he was struck blind. Luckily, his eyesight recovered with the help of a wonderful couple, but this changed Muir. He decided to follow his dream to travel to Florida, South America, and eventually California. Through beautiful black-and-white illustrations and words that are from, or inspired by, Muir’s writing, readers follow the trek through the wilderness that led to his founding of the Sierra Club and creating the movement to protect the beautiful environments that he was able to see after his tragedy. The story is one of the soul of Muir, serene and calm, focusing on what he encounters and his sometimes-visceral reactions. The story paints a picture of some of the people of the time, giving readers a sense of what political movements were happening and the hardships Muir endured during his trip. While the book is compelling, it may not fly off the shelves without booktalking.